Roasted Regal Salmon with a Lemon, Herb and Honey Glaze

Claire Aldous

This is the perfect entertaining recipe. It can be cooked one day ahead and still looks stunning when presented. The recipe adapts easily to cooking in single serve portions.

Ingredients
Serves 10-12
1½ kilogram piece of salmon, skin on, pin bones removed

Glaze
4 tablespoons well flavored honey, eg manuka
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ -½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 spring onions, very finely chopped
To assemble
2 lemons from glaze
bay leaves, halved through the stem if large
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Glaze: Put all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and stir together.
Salmon: Place the salmon on a lined baking tray. Carefully cut a long slash through the flesh, but not through the skin, at 4 cm intervals down the length of the salmon.

Halve the lemon through the stem end and slice thinly into half moons. Insert two lemon slices and two pieces of bay leaf in each slash.

Spread the honey glaze over the salmon and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Roast for 15-20 minutes or until cooked to your liking. 

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tray.

To serve: Slide the salmon onto a serving platter. Garnish with extra lemon wedges and bay leaves if desired.
The salmon can be served warm or chilled. If serving chilled, cook one day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate.
Salmon is extremely versatile and works well with a range flavors.

Ring the changes using one of the following suggestions;

Replace the tarragon with basil or flat-leaf parsley and stir in 1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard.

Asian;
Replace the lemons, rosemary and tarragon with limes, fresh coriander and very finely chopped lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves.
Replace the rosemary and tarragon with fresh coriander and ½-1 teaspoon ground Chinese 5-spice and freshly grated ginger

Middle Eastern;
Replace the tarragon with flat-leaf parsley, mint or coriander. Add ras al hanout or sumac,

Recipe for Canapé on Thursday night

Vodka and Aniseed Cured Salmon with Dill and Horseradish Sauce
Ingredients
1.2 kilogram side salmon, skinned, pin bones removed

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon each whole caraway seed and aniseed
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
finely grated zest 1 lemon
6 tablespoons each granulated sugar and sea salt
2 tablespoons brandy or vodka

Lightly toast the seeds in a dry sauté pan then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Tip into a bowl and using your fingers, rub in the pepper, thyme, lemon zest, sugar and salt. Add the brandy and stir to resemble wet sand.

Line a tray with plastic wrap. Sprinkle half the cure over the tray in the same shape as the salmon and place the salmon on top. Cover with the remaining cure, patting it on well.

Cover with plastic wrap and place another tray or board on top. Weight with something heavy such as tins of tomatoes. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. The longer the salmon is left in the cure the firmer the flesh becomes.

Scrape the cure off the salmon and wipe with a damp kitchen towel. Slice thinly with a very sharp knife.

Serve on dense rye bread topped with dill and horseradish sauce